Case Study · Trade Association
One Print Issue to a Quarterly Magazine. 10,000+ Readers.
Esports Trade Association — Launching and growing EsportsNext Magazine, the publication for the esports industry.
- 10,000+ Readers
- $10K+ Annual advertising revenue
- 4 Issues a year, plus web and newsletter
The situation
The Esports Trade Association had a conference, a membership, and a growing roster of companies with stories to tell, but no publication of its own. Between annual meetings there was no shared editorial voice for the industry, no place for members to be featured, and no advertising channel for sponsors who wanted to reach the people building esports.
The work
VPG launched EsportsNext Magazine as a print publication, debuting it at EsportsNext, the association’s annual conference. The in-house creative team produces every issue end to end: editorial planning, writing and interviews, design and layout, advertising sales, print production, and distribution.
- Launched in print at the annual conference, then established as an annual publication
- Grew the cadence from annual to quarterly as readership and advertiser demand increased
- Built a companion website so every issue is available to read and download online
- Added a monthly companion newsletter that keeps readers engaged between issues
- Developed advertising packages that give sponsors a year-round channel to the industry
The result
What started as a single print issue handed out at a conference is now a quarterly magazine with a subscriber base of more than 10,000 readers, a companion website, and a monthly newsletter. Advertising revenue has grown to more than $10,000 a year, turning the publication into a non-dues revenue stream for the association and a year-round touchpoint for its members.